The Baltimore police officer who was labeled a snitch and targeted with a dead rat after becoming a key witness in a criminal case against other cops told the rest of his story to the WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team.

On Thursday, Baltimore's police commissioner threw his full support behind whistle-blower Detective Joe Crystal, who told the WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team that he has been labeled a snitch and targeted with a dead rat after becoming a key witness against two other officers.

The investigation includes a new apparent attempt to discredit the detective using social media.

"It was perceived that I snitched," Crystal said.

The 11 News I-Team's exclusive interview with Crystal spelled out allegations of taunting, intimidation and harassment he has said he has endured since blowing the whistle on police misconduct, but someone used Twitter to get a jump on him.

Starting just after 10:30 p.m., almost a half hour before the interview aired on 11 News Wednesday night, a stream of tweets came from an account using Crystal's name and picture. A string of comments also appeared on the WBALTV.com article from a user bearing his name, Joe Crystal.

The messages include disparaging comments about the mayor and Baltimore City District Court Judge Katie O'Malley. They also mentioned Marinos Gialamas, the sergeant Crystal blew the whistle on after a drug arrest went bad in October 2011.

Gialamas was convicted of misconduct. Officer Anthony Williams was convicted of assault. Crystal provided key testimony against both of them earlier this month.

In his interview with the 11 News I-Team, Crystal described a phone call he said he got from a sergeant just after Gialamas and Williams were charged, saying, "He started screaming at me, telling me Gialamas is saying I am snitching and I am the star witness. 'You know, you better pray to God you're not the star witness.' He said it multiple times. When I hung up the phone, I said to my wife, 'I think he basically just threatened me.'"

Soon after, someone left a dead rat on the windshield of Crystal's car.

Are the online messages a new round of taunting? The police commissioner said he has met with Crystal and supports him for coming forward.

In a statement, the commissioner said, "The public trust must be preserved at all costs and any officer willing to step forward should be applauded for their bravery and courage. There is a full and thorough investigation underway as a result of the allegations brought forward by a courageous officer."

The allegation of witness intimidation against Crystal was known by the Police Department and the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office since at least November 2012, when the rat was left on Crystal's car.

The following is the full statement from Baltimore City Police Commissioner Anthony Batts:

"The Baltimore Police Department today announced full support for the actions of Detective Crystal in coming forward to report malicious behavior and criminal activity in his unit. After personally meeting with Detective Crystal, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts made clear that every resource in the organization would be used to support and protect any officer who reports corruption or wrongdoing. The reduction of violent crime is the goal of every officer in the department, but the ends cannot justify the means, if those means are not constitutionally grounded. The agency must and will hold itself to a higher standard."

"'We will not tolerate corruption, wrongdoing, or erosion of the public trust. Any officer, or group of officers found to be engaged in conduct that is illegal will be charged, and with the cooperation of the State's Attorney's Office, prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. We will not stop in our efforts to identify and fire officers whose behavior is repugnant to the citizens we serve, and to protect those who report them. We strongly encourage and support officers across the organization to feel safe and justified in reporting criminal behavior.'"

"The commissioner emphasized that the department has an obligation to the citizens of Baltimore to police in a constitutional manner with the highest ethical standards; as the overwhelming majority of officers continue to do. The public trust must be preserved at all costs and any officer willing to step forward should be applauded for their bravery and courage. There is a full and thorough investigation underway as a result of the allegations brought forward by a courageous officer."

"Since the day he was sworn in, Commissioner Batts, in creating the Professional Standards and Accountability Bureau, has worked tirelessly to ensure the highest standards of constitutional policing. Working in conjunction with the State's Attorney's Office, the department's Professional Standards and Accountability Bureau has investigated, arrested and prosecuted officers engaged in misconduct and continues to do so."

LIVE, LOCAL, LATEBREAKING. THIS IS 11 NEWS AT 6 P.M. HE SAID IT MULTIPLE TIMES. THE DAY AFTER A POLICE DETECTIVE STEPS FORWARD WITH HIS STORY, OUR BIG STORY TONIGHT. THE POLICE COMMISSIONER THROUGH HIS FULL SUPPORT BEHIND WHISTLEBLOWER JOE KRISTOL. HE SAID HE HAS BEEN LABELED A SNITCH AND TARGETED WITH A DEAD RAT AFTER BECOMING A KEY WITNESS AGAINST TWO OTHER COPS. JAYNE MILLER IS LIVE IN THE STUDIO WITH THE LATEST. THE INVESTIGATION INCLUDES A NEW, APPARENT ATTEMPT TO DISCREDIT THE DETECTIVE USING SOCIAL MEDIA. OUR INTERVIEW WITH JOE CRYSTAL LED THE NEWS LAST NIGHT AS CRYSTAL SPELLED-OUT ALLEGATIONS OF TAUNTING, INTIMIDATION, AND HARASSMENT HE SAYS HE HAS ENDURED SINCE BLOWING THE WHISTLE ON POLICE MISCONDUCT. BUT SOME AND USE TWITTER TO GET A JUMP ON HIM. ALMOST A HALF-HOUR BEFORE OUR NEWS, A STREAM OF TWEETS CAME FROM AN ACCOUNT USING JOE CRYSTAL'S NAME AND PICTURE. THE STRING OF COMMENTS APPEARED ON OUR WEBSITE ALSO BEARING THE NAME JOE CRYSTAL. THE MESSAGES INCLUDED DISPARAGING COMMENTS ABOUT THE MAYOR. THE SERGEANT HE BLEW THE WHISTLE ON AFTER A DRUG ARREST WENT BAD IN OCTOBER OF 2011. HE WAS CONVICTED OF MISCONDUCT. OFFICER ANTHONY WILLIAMS WAS CONVICTED OF ASSAULT. THE DETECTIVE PROVIDED KEY TESTIMONY AGAINST THEM EARLIER THIS MONTH. HE DESCRIBED A PHONE CALL HE SAYS HE GOT FROM THE SERGEANT JUST AFTER THEY WERE CHARGED. HE STARTED SCREAMING AT ME, SAYING I AM SNITCHING AND THAT I AM THE STAR WITNESS. YOU BETTER PRAY TO GOD THAT YOU'RE NOT THE STAR WITNESS. HE SAID IT MULTIPLE TIMES. I LOOKED AT MY WIFE AND SAID -- SOON AFTER, SOMEONE LEFT A DEAD RAT ON THE WINDSHIELD OF HIS CAR. ARE THE ONLINE MESSAGES A NEW ROUND OF TAUNTING? IN A STATEMENT, THE COMMISSIONER SAID THE PUBLIC TRUST MUST BE PRESERVED AT ALL COSTS. ANY OFFICER WILLING TO STEP FORWARD SHOULD BE APPLAUDED FOR BRAVERY AND COURAGE. THERE'S A FULL AND THOROUGH INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY, THE STATEMENT GOES ON, AS A RESULT OF THE ALLEGATIONS BROUGHT FORWARD. THE ALLEGATION OF WITNESS INTIMIDATION WAS KNOWN BY THE DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE SINCE AT LEAST NOVEMBER OF 2012, WHEN THE RAT WAS LEFT ON THE CAR.